Bracelet



UN TED" STATES l PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM II. BALL, or EwAnIQNEw JERSEY.

BRACE LET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,887, dated December 10, 1889.

Application filed July 26, 1889- To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, WILLIAM H. BALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, Essex county, New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bracelets, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to an improvement in the construction for bracelets patented to me August 23, 1881, No. 245,990; and it 0011- sists in a special construction by which the spring blade or guard described therein is adapted for that class of bracelets known as wire bracelets.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is an exterior view of the bracelet closed; Fig. 2, a view, partially in section Where hatched, of the bracelet in its open position. Fig. 3 is a plan of the bracelet; Fig. 4, an edge view; Fig. 5, a plan, and Fig. 6 an end view of the spring-blade. Fig. 7 is a view of the mouth ofthe segment through which the spring-blade slides. Y

The bracelet consists of two segments a and b,con1posed of hollow wires or thin tubes hinged together at c. In the mouth of the segment a, is provided a small catch-piece a, partly obstructing the mouth of the tube. In the mouth of the segment Z2 one end of the spring blade or guard cl is secured, preferably by solder, and the opposite end is inserted in the mouth of the segment a.

The guard (Z is provided upon one end with aprojecting lug or thumb-piece d, and the segment dis provided upon its outer side, be-

tweenthe catch-piece a and the hinge c, T

with an opening or slot of, adapted to receive the lug d when the bracelet is closed.

The guard d is necessarily made of spring metal, so as to have both flexibility and elasticity, as its curvature constantly changes during the closing of the bracelet, thus corresponding with the curvature of the interior of the segment a, and it is also necessary that the lug cl should be pressed outward, so that when it arrives at the slot a it will be projected through the same, so as to lock the bracelet in its closed position by its engagement with the end of the slot.

In order to open the bracelet, the thumbpiece d is depressed by the wearer to disen- SerialNo. 318,756- (NomodeL) gage the same from the slot, and the free ends of the segments a and b separated, so as to draw the free end of the guard 61 through the segment a. The parts a and b can be .sepa' rated until the lug d comes in contact with the catch piece or stop a, as in Fig. 2, when its movement is checked.

The guard d is constructed separate from the other parts of the bracelet with the lug cl thereon. In order to introduce it in the mouth of the segment a, it is turned at right angles to its normal position, as shown in dot- 'ted lines in Fig. '7, that the lug (1' may clear the catch-piece a in such operation. It is then turned around to its normalposition and its opposite end inserted in the mouth of the segment I) and secured therein.

In practice the tubing of which the segments are made is very thin, and the lug d would therefore tend to wear the slot a larger than at first made, and consequently the locking device'would not hold the bracelet tight shut after it had been subjected to such wear. In order to avoid this liability to injury, I apply a re-enforcing patch or cap a around the slot to give increased thickness to the metal about the same.

In my said prior patent the spring-guard was provided at its free end with ears or a cross-bar projecting from its sides to engage with the catch-piece in the mouth of the segment at, and a special catch was provided to hold the segments closed.

r In my present invention the guide d has the same function as in my former construc tion, and by means of the slot o in combination with the lug d, has the additional function of a locking device, so that a special lock or catch is not required to hold the segments closed.

Instead of inserting the guard din the segment a, as above described, I sometimes find' fore be seen that the exact form of the catch piece or stop a is immaterial to my invention, as other forms than that shown herein may be used effectively.

Having thus set forth myinvention, what I claim herein is 1. In a braceletcomposed of two hollow wire segments hinged together at one end, the combination, with the segment a, provided at its mouth with the catch-piece a and intermediate to the said catch-piece and the hinge c with a slot (L as described, of the segment b, provided with a spring-guard d. secured therein at one end, and its other end provided with a lug d, projected into the mouth of the segment a for interlocking with slot a substantially as shown and described.

2. In a bracelet composed of two hollow wire segments hinged together at one end, the combination, with the segment a, provided at its mouth with the catch-piece a and intermediate to the said catch-piece and the hinge c with a slot a as described,of the re-enforcing patch a applied about the slot a and the segment I), provided with a springguard (Z, secured therein at one end and its other end provided with a lug (Z' and projected into the mouth of the segment a, $111)- stantia-lly as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

\VILLIAM H. BALL.

Witnesses:

L. LEE, H. J. MILLER. 

